Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

March 13 memo recommends litigation timetable CPSC planned ATV ban before starting investigation By John Ulrich • L O NG BEACH, CA, J U N E 4 Factions in th e U .S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advocated a ban and recall of all ATVs prior to the start of an agency investigation of, and public hearings Commissioners Scanlon (left) and Dawson hear testimony in Jackson. CPSC staffers DeFiore (right) and Marchica (background) observe. Public hearing in Mississi~~i CPSC hears ATV fans, dealers By John Ulrich JACKSON . MS . MAY 30 The first of five schedu led u.s. Consumer P rod u ct Safety Commission (C PSC) public hearings into ATV safety saw a stream of witnesses testify that sa fety problems are ca used by rider ig norance o r m is-use, not in heren t ATV design p roblems. And react in g to mou nti ng oppositio n to and 14 criticism of Com missioner Swa n M. Sta tler 's repeat ed p u blic ca lls for a ban a nd reca ll of ATVs du e to inheren t da nger. Commissio n Chairma n' Terra n ce Sca n lo n and Comm issioner Ca rol G . Dawso n we nt furth er 10 disla nce th em sel ves fro m Sta tler's positi on. Commission er s St atl er and Saundra Brown Armstrong did not at tend th e hearin g . In hi s o pe n in g remarks. Commissio ne r Scanlon to ld the audien ce " At th is poi n t, we still do not know en o ug h a bo u t ATVs to decide what is most a p p ro p ria te. a n d we cert a in ly do not have enough data 10 justify a ban on ATV sal es o r a recall o f th ose ATVs a lrea dv in use. " In her o pe n ing remarks. Commissio ne r Da wso n said " Re gard less o f w h a t yo u ma y h ave heard o r read in the pr ess, th e Consumer P rod uct Safety Commission ha s not m ade a decisi on o n how best to add ress th e ATV si tuatio n ." In co n tras t to previous h eari ngs inlOATV safetv. th e jackso n hearing saw 3 1 p ro-ATV witn esses testi fy and eight a nt i-AT'V witness es test ify, including one crashe r a nd his lawyer. A pa nel of ATV use rs a nd en rh us ias ts was incl ud ed in the hearin g , co nsisti ng o f R o y J ansen. P residen t of th e America n All-Terrain Vehicle Association; Hayley U lri ch. age seven. Edito r. o f the A TV N ews Kid 's Page; Tommy Brea zeal e o f J ackso n . a n en thusiast; J erry Walto n . President o f Aca d ia na Din R id ers of La faveue, Lo uisian a ; John Couv illion of La fayet te; Louisiana . 'an en th usias t: and seven-year-old Ceci l " Boo t" P h ill ips J r.. a ra cer wit h 100 victories 10 h is cred it, and his father , Ceci l Ph ill ip s Sr.. bo th o f Alexa ndr ia . Louisia na . J an sen rei tera ted th e AATVA's position th a t ri ders, no t ATVs. ca use problems . an d th a t u nde r co n trolled co ndi tions w ith proper sa fety eq u ip men t req uired , inj ury rat es are ver y lo w. H avlev U lr ich drew th e on ly a udience respons e o f the da y - a standing o va tio n - saying tha t kids ca n have safe fun on ATVs with proper train ing. eq u ip m en t and supe rvisio n . Walto n . speaking for his club o f 50 off-road motorcyclists and th eir families - which he sa id in cl uded man y ATV-riding spouses and children said that th e average age of his club's m embers was 30, that 80% were married and that more than ha lf had two o r mor e ch ild ren , bringing cIub representation 10 about 200 men , women a nd children. Walt o n . who said he o wn s' four dirt bikes a nd two ATVs. advocated parental responsibi li ty an d co nstan t supervision 10 ens ure proper use by ch ild ren a nd urged th e C PSC 10 act o n ed ucation program s 10 enco urage respo n sible ATV use. Cecil Phillips j r.ro ld the Commissio ners tha t he a lways used proper ridi ng gear; hi s parents sho wed a vid eo tape of young Ceci l being in ter viewed. then ridi ng, o n a chi ld ren 's te levision show. A panel o f loca l a nd state government agency re p resen tatives included Missi ssippi Sta te Sena tor Walter Gra ham . who said that h is l O-year-o ld so n was kill ed riding an ATV witho u t a he lme t, on pavemen t, and th at the acci de nt, w hich involved a co lli- [Co nt inued 10 page 22) into , the th ree-w heeled vehicles , a nd went so far as to p repare a li tigation timetable for ap prova l by the four Comrnissto ne rs. In a restrict ed m emo dat ed Ma rch 13 and recently o btai ned by Cycle News, Da vid Schmeltzer . Associate Ex ecuti ve Di rector, Directo ra te for Com p lia nce a nd Ad m i n istra tive L itigat ion sai d. " We believe that g iven th e large a nd increasing number o f AT V inc ide nts involvi ng serio us in juries a nd deaths, th e large a n d in creasi ng n umber o f prod uc ts in u se. th e fact th at all o f th e products presen t th e p ot en ti al for ser io us injury or deaths. a nd the inadeq ua te warnings a n d instructions accompa nyi ng the product. the Com p liance sta ff co u ld mak e a good argu me nt th at these products co nsti tu te a su bstantia l prod uc t haza rd under Sec tion 15 of th e C PSA . We co u ld seek correc tive action to address products a lready i n th e ha n ds o f co nsu me rs as well a s prod uc ts th a t may be made in th e fu ture." Conti nuing in th e mem o . which wa s se nt to th e Com miss io ne rs th rough CPSC Exe cu tive Direct o r L eon a rd DeFi ore, CPSC G en eral Cou nsel Dan iel R . Levinson a n d C PSC Sec r eta y Sa dye Dunn . Sc h meltzer wrote " If lit iga ti on is necessa ry. a n ad m in istra tive co m p la int co u ld be filed n aming all o f th e ATV man u fac turers or naming o n ly th e la rges t manufacturer , H onda . as a party ." Schmeltzer a lso wrote. "ATVs a p pear 10 be u sed primarily for recrea tio n al use ; a nd therefore. a n a rgument co u ld be made that th e u tility a nd benefi ts affo rded 10 th e ge nera l pu blic by thei r use a re li m ited. In co n trast wi th the argua bly lim ited benefits. the apparent nat ure of the ris k of inj ury is severe. incl uding paralysis and death." Schmeltzer co nt in ue d . "The AT V manufacturers may clai m th at the product is n ot defective. si nce many of the in ciden ts are ca used by wha t co u ld be termed co nsu mer mi su se o r a buse o f th e p rod uct. H o wever . in our op inion, th e fact th a t acci de nts may be ca u sed in whol e or i n part by suc h circums tances as ineb ria tion . ri di ng wi th passengers . o perati ng the veh icle o n a hard su rface roa d. a nd vio la tio ns o f th e rules o f th c roa d does not render th e p roduct less defective. " When these facto rs are co ns ide red. th ere appears 10 be a basis 10 support th e prelim in ary co ncl usion th a t the ATVs present severa l typ es o f patterns o f defects: a design defect based o n inherent insta bili ty; a defect ba sed o n fa ilure to -adequate ly warn -the- . rider of the haza rds and risk of inj u ry presented by the vehicles; a defect ba sed on fa ilure 10 adequately instruct th e rider in th e use. operation . a n d maintena nce of th e vehi cles; and th e def ects relating to spe cific components o f th e vehicles." Schmel tzer listed " Corre ctive Action Options" as including "Public notice o f the ha zard s a nd ri sk of injury presen ted by ATVs . .. Warning statem erits o f the hazards a n d risk o n inj ury p resen ted by ATVs . . . Instructions for th e use. operation a nd mai ntenance of ATVs ... Info rmation a nd trai n ing progra ms for th e u se, operation and ma intenance of ATVs Rep a ir the defects in th e ATVs Recall th e ATVs. a n d refu nd the purchase price." According 10 the memo . " T h e sta ff will in vestigat e reports of incide nts. product liability law sui ts. in for mation fro m manufacturers and o the r im media tely avai la ble i n forma tion 10 iden rifv defects associated with specific machi nes o r defects suc h as insta bi lity o r failure 10 warn users of th e hazard which co u ld be asso cia ted wit h a ll or mo st three-wheeled a llterrain vehicles; (2) The sta ff will seek to negotiate co rrecti ve ac tio n wi th the manufacturers as findin gs indi cate; a n d , (3) if voluntary co rrectiv e action is n ot accep ta ble. th e sta ff will li tigat e to mandat e addi tio na l corrective ac tio n ." Schm eltzer recommended a twophase p lan 10 eli mi na te ATVs, beginning with a Com p liance sta ff investiga tion of ATVs; negotiat io n of a voluntary co rrective ac tion pl an wi th m an ufacturers; monitoring of th e ne gotia ted co rrecti ve action plan; a nd a decision wh ether or n o t the corrective ac tion pla n - which m ost likel y wo uld invo lve ex tensive performancea ffecting modi fica tions to AT Vs h ad reduced ris k enough to su it th e C PSC. P hase two o f Sc hmeltzer's pl an i ncl u ded fi ling liti ga tio n agai nst ma nu fac turers. Schmeltzer advocated filing litigation in early 1986 , wi th th e case expected 10 go to tr ia l in m id1987. Sch me ltzer's mem o indi catin g tha t enough evidence existed to move for a ban a nd recall of ATVs was con trad icted by testim on y o f C PSC Commissioners Terrence Sca n lo n , Sa un dra Brown Ar ms trong a nd Carol G . Dawson befo re a Congressiona l sub, co m m ittee hearin g Ma y 21. Asked abo u t Sc h me ltzer's mem o. CPSC ATV Task Fo rce Chairman N ic k Marchi ca sa id th e mem o represented th e prelimina ry th inking of o ne pa rt of the CPSc. " T ha t's how th e Compl iance Directorate wo uld go a bo u t doing it if th ey were 10 get • •• ••• •••• ( Con ti n ued (0 page Z2 )

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